GoHeels Exclusive: Second Scrimmage Notes
August 20, 2018 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
With less than two weeks left until the season opener and two days remaining in training camp, the North Carolina football team held its second intrasquad scrimmage of the fall on Saturday at Kenan Stadium.
Here are a few notes from the scrimmage:
Play of the day
When asked Tuesday about who stood out during UNC's first scrimmage, Larry Fedora named six players. Unsurprisingly, one of them was Anthony Ratliff-Williams, who Fedora said "is going to make plays in every scrimmage that we have."
That statement proved true on Saturday.
With the offense facing fourth-and-10 from its 35-yard line during a two-minute drill, Nathan Elliott threw a deep pass down the middle of the field. It seemed unlikely that Ratliff-Williams, covered tightly by camp adversary K.J. Sails, would catch the ball. But he leapt into the air and snagged it from Sails' grasp, picking up 35 yards.
The grab marked the latest entry in Ratliff-Williams' extensive camp highlight reel. It also set up the offense's first touchdown of the day.
Three who stood out
Jeremiah Gemmel: After redshirting last season, Gemmel has flashed potential this fall, using his speed, range and athleticism to cover the whole field. That was certainly the case Saturday. On the first play of the eighth series, Gemmel stuffed a run for a two-yard loss. He then broke up a pass two plays later on third down. Moments later, on a third-and-6 play, Gemmel deflected another pass, which was intercepted by Ben Stobaugh and returned for a touchdown. Gemmel later sniffed out a pass in the flat, resulting in a four-yard loss.
Jason Strowbridge: Although he's gained about 15 pounds, Strowbridge continues to show the explosiveness that made him one of the most consistent players along the Tar Heels' defensive line last season. His most impactful play Saturday came during the first overtime simulation. After offensive holding was called on the first play, Strowbridge effectively ruined any chance of the offense scoring when he sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss. He tallied another sack earlier and also stuffed multiple runs at the line of scrimmage.
Antwuan Branch: Because of Carolina's depth at running back, Branch might be overlooked. But he couldn't be ignored Saturday. His 35-yard run on the 13th series was the longest of the scrimmage. He turned another carry into a 25-yard touchdown.
Other observations
- Elliott showed a lot of poise throughout the scrimmage and completed throws to about every level of the field. He also scrambled for a couple of nice gains, his longest being 15 yards.
- On the first series, Elliott marched the offense from its 30-yard line to the defense's 4 on nine plays. But on third-and-goal, Patrice Rene, listed at 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, used his size to break up a pass intended for Ratliff-Williams in the end zone.
- Freshmen Trey Morrison and Bryson Richardson continue to look like they'll be key contributors this season. The defense lacked energy on the first two series of the scrimmage, but Morrison changed that when he intercepted the first pass of the third series and returned it for a touchdown. Richardson later tracked down a deep ball intended for Thomas Jackson and swatted it away.
- Antonio Williams keeps impressing. Two plays after Ratliff-Williams' sensational catch, Williams rushed for a 24-yard touchdown. He scored again late in the scrimmage, when he received the handoff on second-and-goal at the 4-yard line, bounced it outside and used a stiff-arm to reach the end zone.
- For the second straight week, Javonte Williams registered a couple of big runs. His longest went for 28 yards. He also scored a touchdown on second-and-goal from the 3-yard line.
- Another freshman who stood out on offense was Dyami Brown, who seems like he's cemented himself as a leading candidate to start at outside receiver opposite of Ratliff-Williams. Two of Brown's catches went for 22 and 14 yards. He also returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
- Jake Bargas made three big catches late in the scrimmage. Two of them came back to back during a two-minute drill, and he showed great awareness by fighting to get out of bounds and stop the clock. His third grab came when Elliott found him for a 4-yard touchdown on first-and-goal.
- Chazz Surratt connected with Beau Corrales for a 25-yard gain late in the scrimmage. The play would've resulted in an 82-yard touchdown if Corrales wasn't whistled down at the offense's 43-yard line.
- Tre Shaw and Myles Wolfolk each recorded an interception.
